TRIO GRAND: Tiger Woods (right), Adam Scott (center) and Rory McIlroy are expected to tee off together at 1:14 p.m. today. The sport would be helped immensely if McIlroy and/or Scott emerge as a consistent challenger to Woods. (Getty Images (2); EPA)
ARDMORE, Pa. — Since 2008, the USGA has paired the world’s top three-ranked players in the first two rounds of the U.S. Open, which is why Tiger Woods, Rory McIlory and Adam Scott will be featured in today’s opening round at Merion Golf Club.
It makes for good television and some early headlines, but the full impact of golf’s best players going head-to-head-to-head won’t be felt until they are actually dueling for the coveted major championship on Sunday. That’s when you need the big names going for the big prize.
Perhaps the pairing of Woods, McIlroy and Scott is a prelude of things to come, creating the kind of high-profile showdowns that existed when first Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, and then Tom Watson and Lee Trevino always seemed to show up on the leaderboard to challenge Jack Nicklaus. Golf is primed for that now.
The rain-soaked East Course will try to withstand a potentially dangerous rain and windstorm today and offer as much defense as possible. Though the consensus seems to be this is Woods’ tournament to lose, it’s also a chance for one of golf’s young stars to establish himself as the next best of the era.
That’s what golf is looking for: not necessarily the next Tiger Woods, but the next Watson and Trevino, players who consistently showed up to challenge the world’s best player.
Weather permitting, the trio tees off at 1:14 this afternoon.
Scott, who long ago was targeted as a future star, finally broke through at the 2013 Masters, holding off Angel Cabrera in a playoff to capture his first major. The Aussie said he feels confident he’s ready for the challenge of winning another.
“The experience of dealing with coming down the stretch and ultimately winning hopefully will hold me in good stead the next time I get that chance,” Scott said. “And I’m aiming for that to be Sunday here.”
McIlroy already has proven himself worthy by winning the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional and the 2012 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island. Despite his inconsistencies, a third major would establish him as a player who plays his best in the big moments.
Unlike Sergio Garcia, McIlroy doesn’t mind playing with Woods.
“I like it because you’re in a group [where] there’s a lot of buzz and a lot of atmosphere around it and it gets you focused from the first shot,” he said.
Woods is accustomed to playing in front of large crowds and seems comfortable around McIlroy and Scott. Having his closest rivals in his sights isn’t a bad thing.
“Normally, we don’t get those types of pairings very often,” Woods said. “When you do, it just makes it that much more enjoyable for us as players.”
It will be enjoyable for the fans and beneficial for golf if a similar pairing of high-profile players is in contention at Merion on Sunday. That’s what marked the duels featuring Palmer, Nicklaus, Player, Trevino and Watson. Trevino won the 1971 U.S. Open here in a playoff with Nicklaus. Two weeks later, he won the Canadian Open and the following week the British Open. It wasn’t all about Jack.
Comparing players of his era and today, Trevino said, “I think that a few of us were as good as they are. But I think they’re deeper. They’re taller. They’re more in shape. They learned to play with the core, which we never played with the core. We played with our knees. This is where they’re getting the speed from.”
Today’s players are bigger and stronger than the golfers of three decades ago. Depth is in part why only Woods (three) and Matt Kuchar (two) have won multiple titles this season. But the mantra of the U.S. Open is that it identifies the best player in the world at least for that weekend. Hopefully, today’s pairing of Woods, McIIroy and Scott is a prelude to a matchup of big names on Sunday.
george.willis@nypost.com